Ruminations
by Plagioclase
Summary: Set after the events of 'Ben 10 Returns'. Gwen thinks about the descisions Ben has made, and has a little chat with Kevin in the process. BxG
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10. So there, nyah!

Gwen stirred in her sleep. Cracking open an eye, she saw the blurred images of vast, expansive wheat fields as they passed by, bathed in the eerie light of the full moon. Gwen shifted slightly, trying to ease the discomfort in her back from sleeping sideways in the front seat of Kevin's car. She saw him glance over at her in the reflection in the window. She stayed still, not wanting him to realize she'd woken up.

After a few seconds he turned back to the road, and Gwen relaxed more into her seat. It was a weird thing, to be here, riding with Kevin…or doing anything with Kevin that didn't involve fights to the bitter end or preventing the mass murder of hundreds. Memories flitted through her tired mind, images of Ben and Kevin fighting atop the Golden Gate Bridge, of Ben sacrificing the Omnitrix and himself to try and protect her from Kevin and Vilgax when they were in the Null-Void. _Ben…_

Moving as subtly as she could, Gwen peered into the space between her seat and the car door. Ben had fallen asleep in the back seat. He was slumped over, his face flush against the glass of the window, mouth slightly open. The seatbelt was probably the only thing holding him up. Gwen felt a sort of warmth beginning to fill her up, spreading itself across her face in a smile. But as quickly as it had come, the smile faded, the warmth in her being replaced by a dull anxiety.

_Ben…_ Just five years ago the very mention of his name was enough to make Gwen's blood boil. _The little dweeb._ So when she had discovered she was going to be spending her whole summer trapped in her grandfather's RV with him, she had just about blown a gasket. How could they do this to her? Everyone in the family knew how much she and Ben hated each other, least of all her parents and grandfather. She would have rather been sent to cheer camp, but there was no changing Grandpa Max's mind once he got it in his head to do something. And so, she had resigned herself, if only for the sake of her grandfather's feelings, to wile away her summer with her doofus of a cousin. Things had turned out quite a bit differently than she had expected, though. Of course, prototype alien watches that fall from the sky and latch themselves onto the wrists of unsuspecting ten year-olds have a tendency to do that.

Gwen's eyes drifted to the Omnitrix, and she felt a cold anger rise up inside her. A part of her hated that thing. She had been so relieved when Ben had decided to take it off. Finally, she could breath easy again, knowing that he was no longer putting himself in danger. The watch was like a magnet, drawing every sociopath and unrepentant killer in the galaxy straight to him. Not that she wasn't proud of all the good he'd done, didn't admire him for how heroic he could be, she was just happier with him safe and sound and at home, instead of off running around the galaxy with a bomb strapped to his wrist or being teleported to alien space craft where he had to fight for his life or being sucked into alternate dimensions with no way out or—or—or…the list was endless. But tonight had brought all of that crashing back down around her. She had said as much as felt she could to discourage him from putting the Omnitrix back on, but…ultimately… she knew he would no matter what she said. It was the right thing to do.

It had never seemed to sit well with Ben anyways, the fact that he had taken it off, wanted to live a normal life. It seemed to Gwen that he felt guilty or like he was letting Grandpa down by making that decision. She had tried to reassure him that Grandpa Max was proud of him either way, that Grandpa respected his decision, but Ben never seemed to quite believe it, and, truthfully, she wasn't sure she did either. That made her a little angry, that her grandfather might place the safety of the world over that of Ben's, of his own grandson! _The world had gotten along fine without him up until that point, right? Ben had earned the right to a normal life, someone else could save the world…right? _Somehow, she couldn't quite convince herself of that, either.

It was all a moot point now, anyways. Ben had put the Omnitrix back on and was hell bent on finding their grandfather. All she could do at this point was support him as much as possible; be there for him when he needed her analytical mind to help solve a problem, watch his back when they were in a fight, and, most of all, to be there for him to confide in, to chase away all of his fears and doubts so he could focus on the task at hand and become the leader she knew he could be. He was the only one who could uncover this new conspiracy and save their home from whatever these new aliens were plotting, that's what she believed. Not Kevin, not the plumbers, not even Grandpa Max; for some reason, he was the only one she truly had faith in, the only one she really trusted to do it. She had meant what she said to him in the gym before this whole escapade had started. The Omnitrix really wasn't what was special, he was. It had taken a summer filled with fighting villains and saving the world for her to realize that, but she knew it now, and depended on it. It amazed her how far they had come since that summer. From bitter rivals to…to…whatever they were now.

Gwen squirmed a little in her seat, feeling suddenly tense. Folding her legs beneath her, Gwen rested her forehead against the cool glass of the window, trying to sooth away the tension that was building there.

"You okay"?

Gwen jumped a little in her seat. Looking around, she saw Kevin had been watching her. Extending her legs once more, Gwen turned in her seat so she could more fully face him. "Yeah," she replied, "Just feeling a little tense, I guess."

"You're worried about Ben," he said after a moment. More of a statement than a question.

"No!" Gwen blurted out before she could stop herself. Stupid, really, Kevin had just seen her watching him, and judging by the look on Kevin's face, he didn't believe her either.

"I mean—yes—but not too much. I mean, he's done these kinds of things before, right"?

Kevin shrugged, "Yeah, I guess. Unless you know anyone else who has a watch that can turn them into an alien."

"No, I don't," Gwen conceded, feeling a little foolish.

"Well," Kevin said after another pause, "I wouldn't worry too much. He's almost as tough as me."

"Almost?" Gwen asked, cocking an eyebrow. "From what I recall, he won your little fight."

Kevin flushed a little. "Y-Yeah, well—he just took me by surprise is all. I'd never fought that new alien of his 'til tonight," Kevin retorted, only a little defensively.

Gwen smirked before turning her gaze back to the road, mesmerized for several long moments by the passing of the road beneath the car, watching as the dusty, bumpy dirt road was illuminated for a few brief seconds before it was once again swept into the darkness.

"This is a nice car, by the way," Gwen said, breaking the silence again. She ran her fingers over the paneling of the door, and across the dash. "Mind you, I don't know much about cars, but it seems nice."

"It ought'a be," Kevin replied. "I've spent a lot of time and money customizing this baby."

"With illegal alien technology?" Gwen asked, arching one of her slender eyebrows once more.

Kevin shifted in his seat. "Maybe."

Gwen smirked again before facing forward once more. "I can't wait till Ben and I can drive," Gwen continued after a moment. "It'll be nice to be able to get around without having to ride our bikes or get ride from Grandpa."

"Do you and Ben hang out a lot"?

Gwen felt the sudden urge to panic again. "N-No—I mean, maybe we hang out a little more than most cousins, but it's not like we're around each all the time."

"Alright, alright, I was just asking," he said, "You guys just seem really close, is all."

"Well, we're not," Gwen snipped, her tone a little more biting than she had intended. Kevin looked a little hurt, and Gwen felt a little guilty, but, really, he was just being ridiculous. So what if she and Ben hung out every once in awhile…or…everyday? That didn't mean anything, it _didn't_. They were just like any other cousins out there, just two family members who happened to get along. That's all; just keep moving along, nothing unusual to see here.

Coming back to her senses, Gwen noticed Kevin still looked a little put out. "Thank you, though," she said, and Kevin shot her a quizzical look. "For all your help tonight," she clarified, "I appreciated it."

Kevin turned a little pink at the compliment, but he tried to brush it off all the same, "It was no big deal. Besides, if I left everything up to Tennyson—er, I mean, Ben—we'd all still be back at the train yard."

Gwen gave him a flat look. "Excuse me, but who was it that had the spell that led us too the giant spaceship"?

Kevin kept his gaze firmly on the road. "Well…at least I didn't yell at you."

"He was just under a lot of stress was all," Gwen replied, waving her hand dismissively. "Ben's just really worried about Grandpa."

"And you're not?" Kevin asked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

Gwen felt a little insulted. "Of course I am! How could you say that?" her voice rising dangerously, she could wake Ben.

"Sorry," Kevin said, and he looked it. "It's just, you never seemed to be as worried about him as Ben was, or as worried about him as you were about Ben."

"Well—Well, that's just because I know Grandpa Max can handle himself, that's all."

"And Ben can't"?

"Of course he can—it's just—I mean, he's just—I –,"

"…Care more about him?" Kevin ventured, but immediately regretted it when he saw the fire suddenly snap in Gwen's eyes.

"You know, I don't think I want to talk about this anymore," she said, before crossing her arms and turning to glare out the passenger side window once more.

Kevin continued to glance at her for several minutes, unsure of exactly what to say, before he finally gave up. Glancing in the rear view mirror, he saw that Ben was still slumped up against the window, his steady breathing fogging up the window near his mouth. _You'd better not drool on the upholstery, Tennyson._

Author's note: Though this is slated as a one-shot right now, I'm seriously thinking about turning it into the prologue of a full length story. We'll just have to wait and see.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I still don't own Ben 10. Blast!

Authors note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed. You were all very flattering. Sorry, too, that this one isn't as long as the last chapter. I just couldn't think come up with anything more to write in it without out ruining it. Be forewarned that this chapter isn't as good as the last one, nor is it yet a lead in to my full chapter story. This was just an attempt to become better aquianted with Ben, Gwen, and Kevin's characters before I launch into the full story. I'm still to writing them so I need a little practice. Now, I've taken up enough of your time, so please enjoy.

Gwen scuffed her shoe in what was left of the snow while she watched Ben talking to Alan and the Sheriff. Clasping her hands behind her back, Gwen was barely keeping the smile on her face from turning into a full grin. Ben had impressed, yet again. Even though she was sure that Ben had done most of the 'Heroing' tonight, he was giving most, if not all, of the credit to Alan. What had happened to that little ten year-old glory hog who never 'needed' anyone else's help, and could save the day all on his own? _He grew up, that's what happened._

When they finished saying their goodbyes, Ben turned to begin walking back towards her and Kevin. As they made eye contact Ben smiled, and Gwen felt a little thrill shoot through her that made her stomach flop and her head swim. She felt accountably giddy.

"So, what's next?" Kevin asked, drawing Ben's attention away from her.

"Dunno, yet," Ben said, looking suddenly thoughtful. "That was kind of our last lead."

"We could always go look for more crop circles," Kevin offered as they all turned and began walking through the corn together, back towards Kevin's car.

"I told you," Gwen interrupted, "They're not crop circles. They're circuit boards."

"They're circles in a field of corn, how can they not be crop circles?" Kevin retorted.

"To call them crop circles implies that they're those stupid hoaxes made by a bunch of adolescent twits who can't come up with anything more constructive to do on a Saturday night," Gwen said heatedly.

"They're still circles in a field of crops," Kevin replied, and Gwen had the sudden urge to smack that smug look right off his face.

"Right," Gwen said sarcastically, "Just like I have an alien ancestry."

"You do!"

"Uh-huh, sure," Gwen smirked, turning to Ben with a can-you-believe-this-guy look on her face.

Ben smirked too, but shrugged, "Well it's not like its impossible. Remember Xylene"?

Gwen's mouth fell open. "I can't believe your taking his side"!

"I'm not taking anyone's side!" Ben exclaimed, throwing up his hands in defense. "I'm just saying it's a possibility is all." Gwen narrowed her eyes. With a 'hmph', she crossed her arms, turning resolutely away, her nose in the air.

"Aw, come on," Ben said, pulling her towards him. "Don't be like that." Shrugging him off, Gwen made sure to walk just out of his reach.

"Way to go, Pee-Wee," Kevin said, smacking Ben in the back of the head.

"Me?! You're the one who started all this with your crop circle stuff!" Ben ducked another blow from Kevin before throwing himself at him, tackling him to the ground. Gwen watched with humor as what had started as a simple discussion about where they should go next turned into an all out brawl. It took Gwen several seconds before she realized why the scene made her feel so warm, but then it occurred to her, _they were like brothers_.

Unlike herself, Ben was an only child. He'd never had any brothers or sisters to play with or wrestle with growing up, and from what she could recall, Kevin was orphaned or something like that because of his powers. She and Ben had used to wrestle all the time when they were little. She had always taken great pleasure in being able to pin him each and every time, but they had long since ceased anything quite so overtly physical as that.

The last time they had scuffled like that stood out in her mind as one of the most awkward situations she had ever been in. It had started out innocently enough, they had been playing video games, and Ben had been losing. He had tackled her in a vain effort to get her controller and wound up flat on his back with her straddling him. The whole situation would have been totally harmless, had she not recently begun to undergo puberty, and…how would you say…mature physically. They had both just sort of froze, realizing for the first time exactly what kind of positions these hitherto innocent wrestling matches tended to find them in. The whole thing escalated from uncomfortable to mortifying when their grandfather chose that moment to walk in on them. The time he had caught them dancing had nothing on this, and neither of them had ever quite had the courage to wrestle each other again.

Gwen laughed as little as Kevin tried desperately to keep Ben from hitting the Omnitrix. In Kevin, Ben seemed to have found a rival and the makings of a best friend. The two essential, if not dichotomous, aspects of any good brother relationship, and if Kevin could be that brother to Ben, well, maybe he wasn't _so _bad. His tough guy act and glove compartment full of speeding tickets were lost on her, though.

Gwen finally decided to intervene when Ben started to turn blue from a headlock Kevin had put him. "Alright, that's enough," she said, reaching out and prying Kevin's arm off of Ben. "You're going to strangle him."

They both staggered to their feet, panting and covered in dirt. "Still need a girl to fight your battles for you?" Kevin taunted with a smirk.

"I'm sorry, who was it that won our fight at the train yard. Oh, that's right, me," Ben retorted, beginning to dust himself off.

"So you managed to win one fight," Kevin replied. "I've won, like, every other fight we've been in, so I think you've still got along way to go, Junior."

"Funny, 'cause I seem to remember winning at the Golden Gate Bridge and on Slix Vigma's ship and in the Null-Void."

Kevin let out a growl, and both prepared to spring again before Gwen intervened. Stepping between them she placed a hand on both of their chests. "I said, 'that's enough'." She glared between them, daring them to just try and defy her.

"You're not worth it," Kevin finally said, turning back towards his car with a smirk. Ben scoffed and Gwen sighed.

"Boys," she said, falling in beside Ben as they trailed Kevin back to his car. "How's your knee, by the way"?

Ben gave her a quizzical look. "That you skinned yesterday as Humongosaur." _Honestly, did boys forget their injuries that quickly?_

Comprehension dawned on Ben's face. "Oh, that. Its fine."

"Are you sure? Maybe I should look at it," she said, glancing down at his knee.

"It's just a scratch. It'll be fine."

"It could get infected, you know"?

"It'll be fine," Ben said again, patiently.

Gwen was silent for a moment before she spoke again. "I don't like that you retain your injuries after you turn back now. That never used to happen."

Ben shrugged. "Yeah, it is kind of weird, but, oh, well, there's nothing we can do about it."

"That's not an 'oh, well', Ben. What if you get seriously injured"?

"You worry too much," Ben said as they finally reached Kevin's car.

"And you don't worry enough," Gwen retorted as she opened the door and slid into her seat.

"Took you guys long enough," Kevin said turning in his seat to look at them both. "So, what's our next move"?

Ben closed his eyes for a long moment. "Grandpa Max's RV," he said, finally opening his eyes.

"What about it?" Kevin asked, but Gwen's eyes were already widening.

"Of course," she said. "If he left that one message there for you, maybe he left others."

"It's worth a shot," Ben nodded.

"Alright then, we're off," Kevin said, throwing the car in gear, but paused at the look Gwen was giving him. "And we'll be going the speed limit," he droned.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10, and will not make any money off of this story.

Author's note: This story is set pre-Alien Force, and thus occurs before either of the other chapters posted so far. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. Enjoy.

"Ben!" Gwen ran forward, throwing her arms around Ben's neck and nearly sending both of them onto the ground. Ben waited patiently for several seconds before Gwen finally released him. Taking a step back, she smiled up at him, her face shining.

"What took you guys so long?" Ben asked, grabbing his pack off the ground and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Grandpa decided to do a little last minute grocery shopping on the way over. You can imagine how that went."

Ben paled visibly. "W-What? I thought we had a deal! He was just supposed to buy hot dogs and hamburgers and normal food!"

"Yes, well, apparently he came across some new recipes during his latest trip to China, and we're slated to be the guinea pigs. Now come on, Grandpa's waiting," Gwen said, beckoning him towards the Rust Bucket. Hunching his shoulders and dragging his feet, Ben fell into line behind her.

"Hey, Ben," their grandfather greeted as they entered the RV, "Sorry, we're running a little late. I had to pick up a few last minute provisions before we could set out."

"Yeah, I heard," Ben replied unenthusiastically. "I'm sure whatever you make'll be good, though," he added after an elbow from Gwen.

Tossing his pack into the back of the Rust Bucket, Ben took a seat on one side of the small kitchen table while Gwen sat on the other. "Where are we going, again"?

"Camp Waunakee," Max said from the driver's seat. "It's a nice, quiet little place where we should be able to spend a nice couple days camping and hiking."

"That's assuming we survive dinner long enough to enjoy it," Ben whispered across the table to Gwen.

"Shush," Gwen said, but couldn't help the little smirk the appeared on her face. "I think it'll be nice to do something together again. It's been awhile since we all got together for a weekend."

"Well it's not like we have a lot of free time anymore," Ben said, leaning back in his seat. "Between my soccer practice and your karate and Grandpa's never ending quest to find the most bizarre foods in existence, we're all pretty busy."

"You two still get to see a lot of each other, though," Max commented from the front seat.

"W-Well, we do go to the same school," Ben said, shifting slightly in his seat. Across the table, Gwen seemed to have become very interested in the hem of her skirt, and there seemed to be a hint of color rising in her neck.

"H-How long will it take us to get there?" Gwen asked after an awkward pause.

"Not long at all," Max replied, apparently oblivious. "Maybe half an hour or so."

"Pft, that's nothing," Ben said, relaxing back into his seat a little more.

"Yeah, we're used to it taking a day to get somewhere after that road trip," Gwen added, crossing her legs under the table. She'd been doing more of that lately, Ben noted idly, actually acting like a girl. She had traded her capris and t-shirts with bracelet-length sleeves for skirts and blouses, had allowed her tomboyishly short hair to fall past her shoulders, and had even started carrying a purse. Most noticeable of all was how long she took to get ready to go _anywhere_ these days.

Ben watched as Gwen took out a brochure for Camp Waunakee. Spreading it open on the table, she rested her chin in her hand as she began to read. Ben watched her brilliantly green eyes as they roved back and forth across the page, reading at a speed far beyond anything he was capable of. Her full lips would occasionally move to unspoken words or quirk into a small smile, perhaps at some distant recollection, maybe she was thinking about him, about sometime he had done something stupid or clumsy that made her laugh…maybe. His eyes traced the line of her jaw, then down her slender neck to…

"Hey, there's a nice looking day-use area, too," Gwen said suddenly.

Ben actually jumped in his seat. "Huh? What?"

Gwen looked up at him from across the table. "You know, a day-use area, where you go swimming and have picnics and play volleyball on the beach."

"And just wait 'til you kids see the lake," Max said, looking at them in the rearview mirror. "The water's so clear you can see straight to the bottom, even at its deepest parts, and it has some great fishing, too."

"Really?" Ben asked, suddenly excited. "Do they have boat rentals"?

"Yup, and I brought along our poles just incase."

"Alright!" Ben exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air.

"Ugh, don't tell me I'm going to be stranded on the beach all by myself again," Gwen moaned.

"You could actually come with us for a change, you know," Ben smirked.

"No—thank—you," Gwen responded, sounding out each word.

"Come on."

"Forget it!"

"You know, Gwen, Ben's right. Why don't you come with us, just this once, you may like it?" Max interjected.

"Uh—but, Grandpa," Gwen whined. She had to head him off now, or else she would wind up spending the whole day out on that lake, cramped up inside a tiny little boat with nothing to do.

"Yeah, Gwen," Ben teased, grinning petulantly, "It'll be a good experience for you." Gwen kicked him under the table.

"Please, Grandpa," Gwen pleaded, turning in her seat, "I just wanna relax this weekend. Can't I do it next time?"

"Alright then, next time," Max relented.

Gwen heaved a great sigh of relief. "Thank you, Grandpa." The rest of the drive passed uneventfully. They spent most of the time catching up with each other, which mostly consisted of Ben and Gwen catching up with their grandfather, and reminiscing about past trips, but most especially, that summer five years ago, which had so dramatically changed all of their lives.

Once they arrived at Camp Waunakee, Ben and Gwen waited in the Rust Bucket while Max went to check-in at the ranger station. Ben watched him walking past the front of the supped-up RV before disappearing into the small wooden building. Looking down at the table, Ben let out a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Gwen asked, tilting her head slightly to try and get a better look at Ben's face.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing."

"Ben."

"Oh…alright, it's just…talking about that summer…I couldn't help thinking about the Omnitrix and stuff and…well…"

"You still feel guilty for taking it off," Gwen finished for him. Ben nodded his head, still not looking up at her. Gwen was quiet for moment. "Ben, listen, there was nothing wrong with wanting to take the Omnitrix off, okay."

"Try convincing Grandpa of that," Ben said dejectedly.

"Grandpa told you that it was your decision," Gwen said, a little more forcefully. "He's still proud of you for everything you did with it."

"But, what about everything I _could_ have done with it. All of the crimes I could have prevented, the lives I could have saved. I was just being selfish."

"No you weren't!" Gwen almost shouted, her voice cracking with emotion, "and don't you ever say such a thing!"

"But I was," Ben insisted, for some reason still not quite able to meet Gwen's eyes. "All those people who've suffered just because _I_ wanted to have a _normal_ life. All of those people who were robbed or murdered or…all just because I wanted to play soccer and not have to worry about cutting another class. I'm such a loser," Ben said, clenching his eyes shut against tears that threatened to fall.

"Don't say that!" Gwen could her own feel tears burning at the corners of her eyes. "You're a hero!"

"No," Ben said quietly, defeated, "Maybe I could have been, but I'm not now. I'll never be like Grandpa."

Gwen could only stare, her mouth slightly open, a single tear rolling down each cheek. _Ben…_

A sudden noise at the door caused both of them to snap to attention. Ben sat up straight in his seat while Gwen quickly rubbed her cheeks dry. "You won't believe our luck," Max said jubilantly as he climbed into the RV. "We managed to get the last campsite on the lake."

"Wow, heh-heh, that is lucky," Ben said, pulling a strained sort of smile and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, real lucky," Gwen added, also faking a smile.

Max smiled, "Here, Ben," Max tossed Ben the keys to the Rust Bucket. "Why don't you get some practice driving and take us to the campsite."

"Sure," Ben replied, jumping up from his seat and striding to the front of the RV.

"Here, this is the site we're at," Max said, showing Ben a map of the campground.

"Piece of cake," Ben said, turning the key in the ignition, "I could do this with my eyes closed."

"I'd rather you didn't," Max replied dryly, and they both laughed. Gwen remained in her seat, staring at where Ben had been sitting, hurting and bleeding, just seconds before. Ben and her grandfather's laughter filtered into her ears from the front seat, making Gwen fist the material of her skirt until her knuckles turned white. She felt so frustrated. _Why can't the rest of the world just leave Ben alone? Why can't they just let him be happy? Why do they have to need saving? And why can't Grandpa? He of all people should want Ben to be happy and…safe…_ As the Rust Bucket rolled along, bouncing occasionally over some large pothole or other, Gwen felt one last slide down her cheek.

To be continued…


End file.
